Injustice: Return of the Titans
by Grayson947
Summary: The Regime is destroyed, and the world is recovering with Batman and his allies confronting new threats wherever they can. Yet as Brainiac's invasion approaches, a sleeping giant now stirs, a darker menace who seeks to conquer the world. With the Justice League focusing on Brainiac, this new threat must be faced by the only heroes who defeated it once before: The Teen Titans!
1. Chapter 1

**DISCLAIMER: I OWN NOTHING! ALL CHARACTERS BELONG TO DC COMICS. _INJUSTICE: GODS AMONG US_ AND _INJUSTICE 2_ BELONG TO DC ENTERTAINMENT, WB ENTERTAINMENT, NETHERREALM STUDIOS AND ED BOONE. BATMAN BELONGS TO DC COMICS, BOB KANE AND BILL FINGER. SUPERMAN BELONGS TO DC COMICS, JERRY SIEGEL AND JOE SHUSTER. THE TEEN TITANS BELONG TO DC COMICS, BOB HANEY AND BRUNO PREMIANI. NIGHTWING AND THE NEW TEEN TITANS BELONG TO DC COMICS, MARV WOLFMAN AND GEORGE PEREZ. **

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Chapter 1: Resurrection

Following the defeat of Superman and his accomplices in the Regime, the world became a better place, similar to how it was before the destruction of Metropolis. Yet the Joker's dark legacy still lingered. A year after his defeat, Superman was still imprisoned at Strykers' Island, alongside Damian Wayne, the former Robin-turned Nightwing, and Victor Stone, AKA Cyborg. Only Gorilla Grodd's new Society served as a real threat, as they were intent on disturbing the order that Batman tried so hard to reestablish.

However far away, another organization was on the move. The League of Assassins, who were now led by Talia Al-Ghul after Ra's' death, were gaining speed. She's completely disowned Damian after how he nearly tried to kill his own father. The League made itself an enemy of the Regime, as they saw Superman as the very thing they always swore to destroy: a tyrant. Following the Regime's defeat, Talia took control from Ra's, and relocated the League from Egypt back to the mountains of Syria, and their old sanctum of Masyaf Castle. Masyaf had been Home to the League of Assassins for almost 800 years now, and they forever claimed it as their home.

"Lady Talia, we have them," said an Assassin, kneeling towards her. She'd sent her own honor guard on a special mission, one in which she hoped would make amends between her and Bruce.

"Good. You have served me well," she replied, turning to her loyal servant, "Inform the others: the Pit must be prepared."

"Are you certain?" The man asked, "With respect, they have been dead for six years, milady. What if the process fails?" It was evident the man had his doubts of if they'd actually pull this off. However Talia glared at him, pointing a sword to his throat.

"My father has been dead since the 7th century, and time and again he's risen from beyond the grave," she justified, "If it can work on him, then it will work on them as well. They are needed, now more than ever. Now go!" She then turned away as he left, and looked out the window to her garden, "I am sorry, beloved...I should have sent him to you when he was born," she muttered, "At the very least, allow me to make it right."

Later that evening, the ceremony began. Beneath the castle, in the crypt of previous assassin champions, Talia led her followers towards the Lazarus Pit, the very one her father rejuvenated himself within. Now however it would serve another purpose. Embalmed in linen and hung above the pit by chains lay the corpses of two men. With Earth facing imminent doom, the time came to see that they were revived.

"All is ready, Lady Talia," said a female assassin, bowing her head towards Talia.

"Excellent," she replied, "Lower them into the pit!" At her order, the chains lowered the corpses down into the green waters of the pit. They sunk deep like a sack of hammers, but not for long. After an hour of immersion, the first body rose from the pit with a gasp as the revived man tore the bandages that covered his face, revealing a cascade of long black hair in a mullet, and when he removed the facial embalming wraps, Talia immediately recognized him. He was 21 years old, 5'10" and incredibly muscular. Yet he was also incredibly handsome and sexually attractive. The female assassins had a hard time trying not to resist his god-like face.

As he came to his senses, Dick Grayson, AKA Nightwing, realized the inevitable. He knew all about the Lazarus Pits every time he and the Batman Family faced Ra's Al-Ghul, and now much to his horror, he was in it for one reason only. He looked around him, seeing the League's warriors surrounding him, but Talia only grinned.

"Relax, you won't go insane," she said as she stepped down from her throne, "The pit's mind-altering properties have no effect on the dead, only those close to death." She then stood mere paces away from the pit, looking at him. "Welcome back to the land of the living, Richard Grayson." Talia knew Dick ever since he was Robin, since her father uncovered Batman's secret identity ages ago. So she knew his secrets as well.

"You need to get outta here," he warned her, knowing how much she meant to Bruce, "If the Regime finds you here, you're dead." Dick didn't know what happened since he died, but he remembered clearly that Superman and most of the Justice League had started killing criminals, and his own brother, Damian was among the Regime's ranks. He didn't want the same fate to befall Talia, for Bruce's sake.

"You needn't worry about that," she told him, "The Regime is no more. Bruce and Luthor finally brought it down." At this, Dick's eyes widened completely. Initially, he was shocked. Though after processing it all, he smiled in relief. Then he turned to see Beast Boy, now naked and with longer hair, brought out of the pit. His bandages were tattered and his body pale green, but his eyes still were emerald and cat-like.

"Beast Boy, it's me!" He called out, grinning at his fellow teammate, but also conflicted. He knew that at some point he had to tell his fellow Titan about Cyborg. That would be a hard pill to swallow, considering the two of them were tight, almost like brothers. Though he didn't want to lose another loved one again, like how he lost Damian. However Beast Boy did not respond, despite the fact that he was breathing and his heart was still beating. Nightwing rushed over to his friend's side, concerned. He was able to check his friend's pulse and found it, relieved that he wasn't dead. "What happened? Is he in a coma?" Dick asked.

"Unfortunately the Lazarus Pit does not always revive those long deceased the way they were in life," Talia explained, "But you must not lose hope, Grayson. Support and care for him as best as you can. My father once spent a year in a similar state before he finally regained his wits, because I never gave up on him." Since Dick was Deadman for the past 5 years, he was able to avoid such a fate because he was able to be drawn back into his body. Talia then smiled at the former Robin, "You boys may stay the night," she offered, "There are some rooms you may use for the night. I'll provide you both with suitable clothes in the meantime while you may freshen up." Dick nodded as he led an unresponsive Gar out of the cavern, guided by one of Talia's honor guard up into the corridors of the castle's study. Beast Boy had been to Syria before when he was a little boy travelling with his parents on wildlife expeditions, but he was only familiar with the deserts of the south, rather than here in the more fertile mountains of the north.

Dick had been here once before, when he was still Robin, he'd been kidnapped alongside Talia as part of a test Ra's created for Batman to see if he was a worthy successor. It had been years since that day, but he still knew the place like the back of his hand. The first stop he decided would be the baths to get both of them nice and cleaned up. Dick even helped the handmaidens scrub down Beast Boy's body once they were finished with him. It was evident that he could tell that the women were all enthralled at his thin yet muscular appearance. Yet Dick's mind was only set on one woman, the one he loved with all his heart since he was a teenage boy.

After undergoing a personal living hell of women trying to constantly grope his ass, Dick picked Garfield up and noticed a wheelchair that had been brought out for him. Nearby was a young 15-year-old girl with long black hair tied in a ponytail and bright green eyes. At first glance she seemed almost like a mirror image of Talia, given that she had her similar curvaceous and attractive body. Yet Dick knew better, as he'd seen more attractive women throughout his life.

"Don't worry, I'm not like the others," she said in fluent English, assuring him that she had no intention of sexual harassment. She made her way towards him as she looked over the former Robin's body. "Hmm, but I can see why they fell for you though," she remarked with a smug grin.

"Athanasia, is that any way to speak to your brother?" Talia asked as she approached the trio, clad in her signature black catsuit, but this time augmented with pieces of mirror armor, chain mail and carrying a mamluke sword on her left hip. "Apologies Grayson, I forgot to introduce you sooner. This is Athanasia Al-Ghul, your surrogate sister." Dick was shocked at this, but he also was smart enough to know how Talia had a thing for his surrogate father.

"You and Bruce had **_another_ **kid!?" He asked in disbelief. He knew that Damian alone was enough to handle, but the fact that Talia had a daughter as well was just mind boggling. Yet despite his shock, Athanasia had none of Bruce's hotheaded temper that Damian obviously inherited, but rather she definitely seemed to inherit other traits that Bruce had both as a civilian and as Batman, such as his desire to seek out fun, willingness to do good and from the lack of any weapons on her person, she also seemed to inherit Bruce's no-killing rule.

"It's a long story," said Athanasia, hoping she could talk some sense into her surrogate brother, "But for the short version, mother did her best to raise me so that I wouldn't end up like my brother. And I'm not in any way planning to succeed my grandfather. My grandfather died long ago." Dick was surprised that Talia, the new leader of the League of Assassins, would go so far as to train her own daughter not to kill. Though since Dick had kept tabs on Damian when he was Deadman, he saw this as no surprise considering that the boy usurped his mantle and outright killed members of the League of Assassins. He was relieved as well at the thought that she had no intentions to be groomed as Ra's' heir. Talia had evidently learned that lesson with Damian.

"Grayson, I want you to take care of Athanasia," said Talia, "There are some things she needs to learn that I cannot teach her. I have not informed Bruce of the fact that he has another child. Damian spoke highly of you, so that is why I ask you to train his sister. So that she will not end like he did." Dick knew that having been trained by Batman, this would be a cakewalk compared to when he and Damian first started working together. He remembered having to constantly train his surrogate brother and show him humility, but with Anathasia, she seemed the opposite, more level-headed and not as obsessed like her parents.

"Okay, I'll look after her, for Damian's sake," he said, placing Beast Boy down in the wheelchair, "And...thank you for this second chance." With Athanasia accompanying him, the former Robin decided that it was best to relax and rest up. In Beast Boy's living quarters, there was a hot meal and fresh set of clothes placed out. Dick dressed Gar and then fed him, as if he were still a child. For three long months, Dick and Athanasia cared for Garfield, never relinquishing hope that he wouldn't be able to come back to his senses. Sometimes as the other Titan slept, Dick told Athanasia about his time as Batman's first Robin, and especially about the Teen Titans. Those stories enthralled the young girl, that her surrogate brother led his own team and they took down professional criminals, terrorists, an inter-dimensional demon and alien warlords. More impressive still, he'd been in action since he was 9 years old.

Then one day, as both Dick and Athanasia went to check on him, Beast Boy awoke from his vegetative state, gasping for air, as if he'd just had a nightmare. The restorative properties of the Lazarus Pit rejuvenated him to the point that his muscles were restored from having been atrophied for 6 years as a corpse, and restored any burnt skin and muscles from the explosion. When the Joker's bomb nuked Metropolis, Beast Boy's body was pretty badly scarred from the explosion. In the long 3 months he spent recovering, his hair grew out longer like when he was 17. His fingernails and toenails curled into claws while his incisors and canines filed into fangs.

"What the hell happened?" He asked himself, "Last thing I remember, I was with Connor in Metropolis getting some meatball subs for the team, and I was about to race Bart when..." He gasped as he instantly remembered those final moments. "Oh God...the blast...but how did I?"

"You're up," said a familiar voice. Gar turned and saw Dick Grayson and a young teenage girl standing by his bedside, smiling at him. "Welcome back, Gar." Beast Boy couldn't believe this at all. When Dick left for the Justice League, he was furious, even telling Connor just before dying that Dick was dead to him. That was something he was now beginning to regret now that his fellow Titan was there at his bedside. Likewise, Dick was now beginning to regret leaving for the League as well as not heading back to the tower after the explosion.

"Dick, did you..." he began, "How did I..."

"You were in a vegetative state for 3 months," said Athanasia, "You and Dick were revived after being dead for 6 years." Gar was a bit confused about who this kid was, but Athanasia knew about him from her surrogate brother's stories about his time with the Titans.

"I'm sorry I left for the Justice League, Gar," said Dick, placing his hand on his teammate's shoulder, "But I promise, I won't sit by while my team is in danger anymore." Those words were all Beast Boy needed to know: Nightwing was back on board with the Titans. He tried his best to hold back tears as he smiled that idiotic grin he always did, sniffling as he was just overwhelmed with joy. After he calmed down for a while, he then looked at Athanasia, still confused about who she was.

"Uh, Nightwing, who's the kid? You babysitting her or something?" He asked, much to Athanasia's irritation about being called a kid when she was clearly a teenage girl.

"This is Athanasia Al-Ghul: Bruce's daughter," replied Nightwing, smiling as he patted Athanasia's head. Beast Boy widened his eyes as his jaw dropped in shock. He knew about Damian from when Dick would call in from Gotham or Bludhaven, so he was also aware of the fact that Batman was drugged into having him. "I know, right? I was pretty shocked when I found out too."

"So, she's Damian's little sister?" Beast Boy asked. Athanasia nodded, accepting the fact that her brother was a former vigilante-turned war criminal who she wanted nothing to do with at all.

"Yeah, my brother and I are Batman's children," she said, sighing in annoyance that she was compared to her brother, "To be honest, that creep doesn't even have the right to call me his sister, after what he's done." Athanasia obviously saw Damian in the same light Beast Boy did: an entitled, self-righteous asshole who has the tendency to piss off everybody he tries to get close to.

"I hear you, kid," said Beast Boy sympathetically offering her his condolences for having such a jackass as her brother. "But dude, how am I even alive? What did they use to get me back from the dead?"

"It was a Lazarus Pit," said Nightwing, grimacing at the thought, "They're spread across the globe, no one knows their origins, but their power is legendary. They have medicinal properties in small doses, rejuvenate the elderly, and...it brought us back to life." Dick hung his head as he clenched his fist, "But there's also a catch. Some individuals constantly rely on the pit as a way to cheat death for centuries...in those circumstances, they gradually go insane."

"So it's kinda like the Fountain of Youth, except it makes its addicts go crazy?" Beast Boy asked. Nightwing only nodded, since he knew that Ra's and Jason Todd both went insane from exposure to the pit. Jason's immersion was even worse given his abuse he went through when the Joker killed him. "Wait, what do you mean brought us back to life?" Gar then asked, "What happened after I died? The last thing I remember is that Connor, Bart and I were in Metropolis getting food for the other Titans when an explosion went off and..."

"I think it best we start from the beginning," said Dick, knowing he'd have to tell the truth. Dick told Gar everything, about how the Joker drugged Superman; tricked him into killing his pregnant wife Lois, which set off a bomb that nuked Metropolis, about how Superman killed Joker in grief, and that the Justice League was now a death squad, killing criminals. Worst of all, was that Cyborg was now a part of the Regime. Athanasia sat nearby, obviously sensing how saddened and shocked her surrogate brother's teammate was when he heard the news.

"No...I can't believe Vic did that," said the green shape shifter, horrified that his best friend was a killer, "And he did that because of us? We gotta snap him out of it!"

"I'm sorry Beast Boy," Nightwing replied, "I didn't wanna tell you. The last time I saw him was in Arkham, before Damian...he killed me." Dick recalled that he'd spent time as Deadman before now being revived. He knew what happened now. "He took my costume, mantle and weapons too."

"Wait, what about Raven?" Beast Boy asked, "Where are the rest of the Titans?" He was concerned about what happened to the rest of their teammates, their family.

"Raven's completely lost herself to..." he began but then was shocked. He remembered why she joined the Regime in the first place, "...Oh God! I think she's gonna summon Trigon." Beast Boy and Athanasia were also shocked at this. Dick and Gar remembered the last time that happened, and how Earth suffered for it.

Trigon the Terrible was an inter-dimensional demon who craves power and conquest by any means necessary. In his quest for power he raped countless women across different universes and worlds to side his children; one of them was Raven. Upon learning of Earth, he made plans to conquer and rule it. When Dick was still Robin, Raven tried to stop him, initially going to the Justice League for help, but they turned her down. Yet she met Robin and Beast Boy along with Cyborg and 3 other superhuman teenage heroes, and formed the original Teen Titans. Together, they foiled Trigon's first invasion of Earth, but he managed to escape, causing Raven to succumb to his dark influences and act as the herald for his arrival, unleashing a literal hell on Earth. It was a difficult battle, but the Titans finally destroyed him, or so they thought.

"But he was destroyed, wasn't he?" Athanasia asked, shocked at the thought. When Dick told her about the time they fought and defeated Trigon, she assumed that he was destroyed, "That's impossible then, because Trigon was destroyed, right?" Yet Nightwing and Beast Boy looked at one another, knowing the truth.

"No, Athanasia," said Nightwing, "Trigon's physical body was destroyed, but his spirit endured. He fled back to Hell, biding his time so he could return to conquer Earth. Joker's attack on Metropolis was what he needed to gain the influence over Raven he needed."

"We've gotta find Raven before she does that," said Beast Boy, unsure of what could happen. "What did Talia mean though when she told you Batman and Luthor took down the Regime?" He then asked, "Does that mean it's over?"

"I've got a feeling that it's only just begun," said Nightwing, "There's only one way we can stop Trigon if he comes back. We reassemble the Titans." Nightwing grinned as he said those words, and Beast Boy smiled back. Dark times were coming and the Teen Titans were needed once again.

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A/N: And so we have the first chapter of the _Injustice_ fanfic! Like with Nightwing: Arkham Knight, I gave Dick and Gar mullets, because they had them in _The New Titans_ comics during the 90's, and Dick was also portrayed with one in _Batman: The Animated Series_ and episode 14 of _Teen Titans_. This is why, when they will encounter Damian, his hairstyle will be completely different than in the game or the tie-in comics.

Now, I decided to have Talia support Bruce because in the tie-in comics, Damian and Superman nearly destroyed the League, so I figured Talia would be pretty mad at her son for nearly trying to kill her, hence why she asks Dick to help train and raise Athanasia in ways she can't. Of course, we will be seeing some characters that weren't in the _Injustice_ series, but were definitely in the mainstream comics. Anyway, please leave a review, follow and favorite! :)


	2. Chapter 2

**DISCLAIMER: I OWN NOTHING! ALL CHARACTERS BELONG TO DC COMICS.** ** _INJUSTICE: GODS AMONG US_** **AND** ** _INJUSTICE 2_** **BELONG TO DC ENTERTAINMENT, WB ENTERTAINMENT, NETHERREALM STUDIOS AND ED BOONE. BATMAN BELONGS TO DC COMICS, BOB KANE AND BILL FINGER. SUPERMAN BELONGS TO DC COMICS, JERRY SIEGEL AND JOE SHUSTER. THE TEEN TITANS BELONG TO DC COMICS, BOB HANEY AND BRUNO PREMIANI. NIGHTWING AND THE NEW TEEN TITANS BELONG TO DC COMICS, MARV WOLFMAN AND GEORGE PEREZ.**

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Chapter 2: The Journey Begins

The Middle Eastern sun shone brightly and ardently over the stone walls of Masyaf Castle that day. The League's warriors were training in the weapons they were brought up with since their forefathers founded the order under Ra's Al-Ghul in the Middle Ages. They had only a few enemies: the Regime, which nearly drove them into extinction and succeeded in finally killing Ra's himself when Superman disintegrated him with his heat vision, leaving nothing but ashes. Worst yet, Damian led the assault. As a result, Talia disowned her son, enraged by the fact that he betrayed his family by siding against the enemies of his father and allowing Superman to murder his own grandfather. She blamed herself for what he became, and vowed she would never let Anathasia go down the same dark path her brother took. Now, she was going to be a better superhero than Damian ever was. Dick and Gar accompanied her down to the courtyard, and in fresh clothes and with enough supplies for 2 weeks.

"The closest city with an airport we can make it to is Latakia, in the Northwest," said Anathasia, "It's on the Mediterranean coast. We can get a plane and fly over to America that way." Anathasia didn't want to attract any unwanted attention, so she figured the best bet was to head into Latakia through the mountains, which would be shorter, and not as inhospitable and dangerous as traveling through the desert.

"Wait. I think we should head south, and then west into Egypt," said Nightwing, shocking the two of them.

"What?! But Dick, that'll take us past Kahndaq!" Beast Boy yelled bewildered. He was caught up enough about what happened during the past 6 years to know that Black Adam was a major player in the Regime, and while Superman and Wonder Woman were incarcerated, Black Adam was back in Kahndaq, where as Pharaoh he was seemingly immune to prosecution. However, it was no secret that he was no pushover, as he recently killed Queen Bee, the ruler of Bialya for bringing tanks to his border.

"That's exactly the point," Dick explained, "If we head southwest, we'll be able to slip past Black Adam unnoticed. We'll be hiding in plain sight, and that's exactly the last thing he'll expect." Dick knew that the Rock of Eternity's magic

"I like where this is going," said Anathasia with a giggle, "Sounds like the exact same plan my dad would come up with."

"Are you two freaking insane!? If they catch us, Black Adam will kill us!" Beast Boy protested, not wanting to engage in a conflict this soon when they had a mission. He just got a new life and he didn't want to end it so soon.

"No he won't," said a fourth voice, deep and gravelly. Dick turned and saw a man about his age, and with a similar build as him. He had shaggy black hair with a white streak across the top, stubble on his face, and a suit of body armor emblazoned with a red bat insignia, red versions of Batman's signature spiked gauntlets on his arms, a utility belt that carried two pistols in holsters, and a red version of his old Nightwing mask. Instantly Dick recognized that face as his own eyes widened.

"Jason?! But, you died!" Dick stated, shocked by the sight: Jason Todd, the second Robin was alive and well. Even Gar was shocked, since Jason briefly had a stint with the Titans during his tenure as Robin, and ended up saving Dick and Raven when they were brainwashed by Brother Blood. Dick was absolutely heartbroken when he received the news of Jason's death at Joker's hand in Ethiopia.

"Well, you could say that," said Jason, smugly grinning at the trio, "But it's a bit of a long story. Let's just say I took a little dip in the Lazarus Pit like you two did." He then only turned to face Dick and chuckled, "C'mon Dickiebird, don't just stand there!" The two brothers shared an embrace, glad that they were both back from the dead. Jason learned about Dick's death by Damian's hands and what else happened in the wake of Joker's attack on Metropolis. Now that Joker was dead, Jason was glad, but he garnered a deep hatred of the Regime in part because of Dick's death. "Heard you and Gar are reassembling the Titans, huh?" He asked, as they let go.

"Yeah, we think it's got something to do with Raven, and if my hunch is correct, then the Church of Blood's gotta be involved too," said Dick, grimacing at the thought of the Church of Blood being up to their old tricks again. During the Regime's rise to power, Superman was convinced by Raven to spare them, as they would be no threat to his reign. However she did so only to prevent the Regime from killing her father's supporters. With the Regime dismantled, they were most likely up to their old tricks again.

"That's why we gotta find her before it's too late," said Beast Boy, "She's gonna summon Trigon to destroy the world again." Jason heard about Trigon from his time with the Titans. Though he joined after they defeated him. Still, he nevertheless dreamed of taking a shot at him alongside his surrogate brother and teammates.

"I'm in," said Jason, grinning confidently. Nightwing, Anathasia and Beast Boy were a bit puzzled, but the former second Robin explained himself, "Hey, I may not have been 100% with Bruce's methods, but I was a Titan too." Dick knew this to be true, that Jason was a bit more abrasive than he was, and was not against using brute force to the point where he put his enemies into shock. Once during his tenure as Robin, Jason shattered a pimp's collarbone against Batman's orders.

"Then welcome back on board," said Dick, accepting his surrogate brother's offer to join. They'd need all the help they could get in stopping Trigon, and Dick's knowledge of magic and the occult from his time as Deadman would also come in handy. "Though we'll need more than just reinforcements to go up against this big a danger to the universe." Dick, Anathasia and Jason knew that if they were going to win this fight, then the three of them would need gadgets and weapons, as despite their training and martial arts skills, they had no superpowers.

"I've gotcha covered there guys," said Jason as he motioned for them to follow him towards the castle armory. Though the structure itself was medieval, it had a mix of ancient and modern weapons, from swords and daggers to firearms and rocket launchers. Nearby, on a mannequin in a glass display case was a familiar sight for Dick: what was once his old Nightwing costume. Damian stole it and revamped it completely. The emblem was now red, and smaller than his own. It also had similar shoulder guards and pieces of metal integrated into it. By and large, though, it was mostly the same as when Dick wore it, even the staff was there in tact as well. Nearby was a prototype suit that was Anathasia's size, and seemed to be a collaboration of a Batsuit and elements of the costumes of both Robin and Nightwing. It was dark red, with an orange bird emblazoned onto it in a pattern similar to the bird on Nightwing's costume, orange triple spiked gauntlets complete with claws, a utility belt that was similar to the one worn by the Robins, and orange boots that went up to her thighs. On the shoulders was a dark red cape with a yellow interior, and a dark red version of the Nightwing mask.

"Whoa...any chance there's something for me too?" Beast Boy asked, as he didn't want to be sweating like a pig in heavy woolen clothes out in the desert.

"Gotcha covered, Gar," said Jason as he tossed him a red and white version of the costume he wore just before he died. The color schematics were designed as homage to his original Doom Patrol costume, minus the mask. The look on Beast Boy's face said it all, he was glad to be back in action. Dick looked over his old Nightwing costume, not fond of the fact that Damian altered the color scheme and design of the bird insignia.

"Hmm...Could use some modifications," he muttered, as he knew exactly what to do now, make sure the world knew that the old Nightwing was back in action. Anathasia however was in awe of the costume that was her size.

"Did mother plan this for me?" She asked, wondering how this was possible. The suit was made of the same materials as the Nightwing suit: hardened Kevlar plates with titanium dipped tri-weave fibers for mobility and speed, as opposed to the Batsuit, which was a suit of Nomex body armor with Kevlar bi-weave reinforced joints, because it suited Bruce's fighting style of facing foes head on, while the fighting styles of Robin and Nightwing were more acrobatic.

"Yes my child," said Talia as she came in the armory, smiling sadly at her daughter. She knew this was the last time she would see her child for a long time. "I sent an anonymous request to Luthor-Wayne's Damascus branch to make this for you." Anathasia was understandably sad that she was leaving the only home she ever knew. Talia only embraced her daughter tightly, both trying their best not to cry in front of the young men. "Go and save the world. Make your father and I proud," she said. Anathasia nodded, sniffling as she struggled to maintain her composure. As she wiped the tears from her eyes, the teenage girl looked to her two older surrogate brothers and teammate, grinning confidently.

"Okay, let's go save the world!" She told them. Then she, Dick and Gar left to get changed into their new costumes. Dick modified the Nightwing suit to his personal tastes, keeping the pattern on the arms that Damian went for, but he had the red fittings re-painted blue, and replaced the smaller bird insignia in the center with his old one that he placed all over the suit. He also added a gray utility belt that was similar to the one he wore early in his career as Nightwing. He then stepped out of the changing room to find Jason waiting for him, along with Beast Boy, now fully suited up as well.

"Man, it feels good wearing this thing again!" Dick stated, stretching as he got used to the new armor on the suit. "I gotta hand it to Damian, though. The finger stripes are a nice touch." Then Anathasia came out, all suited up with her scalloped cape flowing behind her, just like her father's. Yet now she let her hair down and dyed it blonde. In her hands, she held two escrima sticks similar to the ones that Dick used before Damian converted them into a staff.

"Well boys? How do I look?" She asked, smiling at her surrogate brothers. Dick and Jason only smiled back at her in approval. "All I need now is a name. Anyone think of any suggestions?"

"I wanna say that Phoenix might work, but that might already be taken," said Beast Boy, throwing in his two cents.

"I think I may have one," said Nightwing as he recalled when he left behind the mantle of Robin to Jason, "After I outgrew being Robin, Superman told me about two Kryptonian deities when I asked him for help with creating a new name." Dick explained to Anathasia about the story he learned from Clark before Joker got to him, about how a god of darkness named Nightwing was tasked by his father, Rao, king of all the gods in the Kryptonian pantheon, to hunt down and destroy all evil that hid from Rao in the shadows of darkness. He was joined in these efforts by his sister and fellow goddess, who was known for control over fire. Dick explained that this story was how he took up the mantle of Nightwing for his own hero persona, "According to legend, the ancient Kryptonians called that goddess, Flamebird the Destroyer," said Nightwing, as he could see the astonished look in Anathasia's eyes.

"Flamebird...I like that name, sounds fitting and powerful," said Anathasia, grinning at her decision, she had her new codename. They made their way over to a practice range, where Anathasia decided to test out her arsenal of projectiles. She found that it came complete with smoke bombs, explosive gel, a line launcher, grapnel gun, bat-claw, voice synthesizer, cryptographic sequencer, freeze blast, weapons disruptor and a variety of multi-purpose birdarangs. Talia had supplied her daughter well, as it was evident she wanted Anathasia to be as well equipped as her father. Her training with the League was beginning to pay off too. She was trained with the use of standard armed and unarmed martial arts, so shuriken use was included as part of learning ninjutsu. She threw a barrage of 3 birdarangs at 3 targets, all found their mark. She was even thrilled to learn that two standard birdarangs combined could form a makeshift sword that could be used for fighting demons and monsters. She proved to the three men that was ready to be a Titan.

When they were all ready, they gathered at the gates of Masyaf Castle after a quick breakfast. There they were met by Ra's Al-Ghul's foremost lieutenant: Ubu. Anathasia had a bond with him, considering he was one of her mentors and tutors. He taught her how to read and write in Arabic, Hebrew and Persian, and how to fight with the sword and dagger. He was wearing traditional Ottoman armor, since this was a special occasion.

"The mentor's daughter embarks on the path of her father and surrogate brother," he said, "Upon you who follow her, no oath or bond is made to go any further. Go forth and hold true to your purpose. May you succeed and save mankind." He then opened his arms and the four bowed in respect before they departed. Beast Boy turned into a draught horse so he could carry the supplies on his back. Before they left, Anathasia took one last look back at her mother, smiling as she finally left behind the home she knew since childhood to embrace her destiny. Accompanying them were a few Syriac Christian guides. Nightwing then approached his surrogate sister.

"You'll have to leave the name Al-Ghul behind," he whispered, "That name may not be safe outside Masyaf." Dick wanted to make sure that Anathasia was safe from being recognized, even if that meant changing her name. He and Bruce did it all the time on covert missions.

"Hmmm...then I was thinking something like...Helena Wayne?" She asked, "How's that sound?"

"Perfect," Jason whispered as he gave the OK sign of approval.

"I'm with Jason on this one," said Dick, "Helena Wayne. That'll be your new name from now on." And so just like that Anathasia Al-Ghul, the Daughter of the Bat was reborn as Helena Wayne, AKA Flamebird: a new member of the Teen Titans. As they entered the town down below, they could tell that much had remained the same since before the Regime took over, but Superman was worse than Assad or the Islamic State combined. He failed to see that his good intentions were leading him down a path of tyranny and evil. With the new transitional government in effect, the people of Masyaf were prospering, with help from Wayne Enterprises. Following Lex Luthor's heroic sacrifice, he left his fortune and company to Bruce Wayne, who began rebuilding transitional governments across the globe. Masyaf though remained as it had under Ra's al-Ghul's protection: safe and unharmed, until the Man of Steel killed him. Now that Talia ruled, the citizens were under her protection. Jews, Muslims and Eastern Christians were all living together in perfect harmony.

They took two camels as they left the southeastern gate of the outskirts of the castle, and began the long ride southeast. Jason and Dick rode the camels, while Helena, in turn, rode Beast Boy, while carrying the lighter luggage on her back, so as to ease his burden.

"So, Dick? Why does your friend wanna summon a demon as vile as Trigon?" She asked, wondering about why both he and Beast Boy were so frightened of the prospect.

Dick and Gar exchanged glances, knowing this would seem like a fantasy to her, but she saw the dead come back to life, so there was no other way to explain it.

"It's complicated, but...he's Raven's father," he replied. Flamebird's eyes widened in disbelief as Nightwing explained, "It all started back in Gotham with her mother. She was a runaway trying to escape abusive parents. Unsurprisingly, she ended up joining a Satanic cult. One night, they decided to perform the classic demonic summoning ritual, and guess who was chosen to summon it to Earth. Yeah. Long story short, poor Angela was tricked into being raped by him."

At this, Helena was shocked by the revelation. In Islam, rape was considered a crime, legally and spiritually, and the culprit would be punished severely for it, either by stoning, flogged one hundred times, or even exile. Yet to be raped by a demon was just absolutely unthinkable.

"Oh God...and that was when?" She asked, and Nightwing and Beast Boy only nodded. There was no need for an explanation after that. "But why would you guys befriend her given what she's done?"

"Trust me," said Jason, "They've got their reasons. Raven may be the bastard daughter of Trigon, but she mostly took after her mom. She was born in an inter-dimensional realm called Azarath, and they brought her up to fight against her old man's influence."

Nightwing smiled and said, "Jason's right, and in a way, it was Raven who brought us all together. She was aware about Trigon's plans to invade Earth, and tried warning the Justice League first, but they turned her away because their own magic-user, Zatanna, believed it was a trap. When that failed, she wandered endlessly until we found her. We gave her a sense of family, a place where she felt safe. Not long after that, we all formed the Teen Titans."

"I see...back at Masyaf, you guys knew that she lost herself to her dad's influence," Helena asked, "Did this happen before?"

"Oh yeah." Nightwing said, and then he explained everything. Dick told his surrogate sister about how over the time she spent with the Titans, Raven's face began to deform and disfigure itself, making her seem more and more sickly until she was completely wearing her hood all the time, and isolated herself. Then one day, she finally left and gave into her father's influence, acting as his herald for when he arrived. The Titans went to Azarath to try and find out if they could help find her, but they arrived as Trigon's forces were in the midst of destroying it. By the time they arrived, they were the only heroes left on an Earth that Trigon was slowly recreating into his own twisted diabolical image. Raven was then able to force them all to confront their own evil halves, which they did upon switching off. Luckily, the People of Azarath had planned for this and managed to purify Raven of Trigon's control, allowing her to use their souls to destroy Trigon, and send him back to Hell.

"Whoa... so then the events that the Joker set in motion was all that was needed for her father's influence to take a hold over her," Helena surmised. Given her father's intellect, the girl was pretty smart enough to put two and two together.

"Seems like that way," said Jason.

Nightwing then added, "And we're the only ones who can snap her out of it."

For two days, the four heroes traveled down the foothills of the Syrian Coastal Mountains, passing around the ancient city of Homs, and to the shores of Lake Qattinah. On the south banks of the lake, they saw the ruins of the ancient city of Kadesh, where the earliest recorded battle in world history was fought. The local Syrian guides told them that this was where the Hittites, under King Muwatalli II, were defeated by the Ancient Egyptians. The victory and subsequent peace treaty was the crowning achievement of the Egyptian Pharaoh: Rameses II, who just happened to be Black Adam's father.

On the night of the first day, they made camp near the Lebanese border, and re-planned their next move. While Masyaf was harmonious, the rest of Syria, however, was not. Following Superman's deposition, the Middle East devolved into chaos once again, and it wasn't safe to travel those ancient lands without being assaulted by religious extremists. A journey to Cairo on foot would be near impossible without being stopped every so often by rebels or insurgents. To that end, they all agreed on a new plan to cross into Lebanon and catch a plane at Beirut to London, and from there to New York. The situation here was just too dangerous for the four of them as it was.

That night, Jason was on radio duty, trying to tune into the news and make sense of what was happening in the world. Gar, though, noticed Dick sitting apart from the group, his legs hugged against his chest. The shape-shifter could tell what, or rather who, he was thinking of. He turned into a jackal and scurried up to his friend's side before transforming back.

"You miss her, don't ya?" He asked. Dick only nodded, as the two Titans both knew who was on his mind.

"I should have stayed behind, remained to help them out." He muttered, "If I hadn't left, then maybe I'd still have survived, and Starfire would..." There was no other woman Nightwing loved more than Starfire, princess of Tamaran. He felt guilty of leaving her to deal with his burden, and that he should have been there for his friends, and for her especially.

"Dude, don't beat yourself up. You made your choice, and Star made her's. If she's still alive, we'll find her, and the others. I promise." Nightwing only smiled back at his old friend, nodding in affirmation at the thought of saving the woman he loved, and those heroes who looked up to him as a role model.

Just then, Nightwing felt his comm. link beeping, and he called in to hear Jason's voice tell him, "Hey, Dick? You and Gar may wanna look up at the sky."

Both young men looked up to see a bright flare of light streaking across the night sky, and land with an explosive boom in the Syrian Desert. The sight was truly something they had to investigate.

"You thinkin' what I'm thinking?" Nightwing asked Beast Boy with a grin. The green skinned Titan nodded with a toothy smile, confident that this was right up their alley. Dick pressed a button on his utility belt, which he remembered all too well, and Beast Boy turned himself into a cheetah. As the refurbished Wingcycle came roaring up towards its familiar master, Dick strapped on his helmet and tuned into his comms. "Jason, Helena, Beast Boy and I are gonna investigate whatever that was. Both of you remain vigil till we get back."

"Way ahead of ya, Dickiebird," replied Red Hood.

"You got it, bro!" Flamebird responded.

With that, both Beast Boy and Nightwing sped off into the night. If what crash landed was what they thought it was, then they had to proceed according to their past experience, and it would also demonstrate a chance for the two to refurbish their fighting prowess, in case it was hostile, and if any terrorists were attracted to it. The two Titans had no idea, though, that this night would be a change for the better in the long run...

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A/N: Hey guys! Sorry for my absence. I've been so busy with real life and whatnot, but I can assure you that I plan to thoroughly complete this story through and through. I was going through a bit of writer's block as well, I admit. That's why, regrettably, I put this story on the back-burner, but I read the reviews you guys had, and you all had some great suggestions! Let me know what you guys think so far, fave, follow and review, and stay tuned!


	3. Chapter 3

**DISCLAIMER: I OWN NOTHING! ALL CHARACTERS BELONG TO DC COMICS. _INJUSTICE: GODS AMONG US_ AND _INJUSTICE 2_ BELONG TO DC ENTERTAINMENT, W.B. ENTERTAINMENT, NETHERREALM STUDIOS AND ED BOONE. BATMAN BELONGS TO DC COMICS, BOB KANE AND BILL FINGER. SUPERMAN BELONGS TO DC COMICS, JERRY SIEGEL AND JOE SHUSTER. THE TEEN TITANS BELONG TO DC COMICS, BOB HANEY AND BRUNO PREMIANI. NIGHTWING AND THE NEW TEEN TITANS BELONG TO DC COMICS, MARV WOLFMAN AND GEORGE PEREZ.**

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Chapter 3: Old Friends; New Allies

Setting their sights on the glowing horizon, Nightwing and Beast Boy crossed the cold desert sands as fast as they could. In this environment, there was no telling of what could happen, and while they were uncommon occurrences at this time of year, sandstorms were known to pass through Syria en route to Iraq, and other states in the Arabian Peninsula and the Persian Gulf. Dick knew how powerful these off-season shamals could be. In 2005, one such sandstorm hit Baghdad so hard that all the citizens were forced to stay inside.

"Stay alert, "Nightwing told Beast Boy, "There could be extremists running around at this time of night." Dick knew that even common desert nomads were more than likely to cross the dunes of the sands in the dead of night when it was cooler, rather than try to survive the heat of the day. This wasn't uncommon in this part of the world, nor was it relatively recent. Banditry in the desert went back as far as the Bronze Age; so much so that one 11th century Christian pilgrim wrote that the road from Jaffa to Jerusalem was littered with the bones of dead pilgrims. Yet then, at that very moment, the two heroes heard the not-too distant sound of gunfire in the distance, coming from their intended destination. Nightwing brought the Wing-Cycle to a halt as Beast Boy transformed back to what was normal for him.

"I think our recon mission just turned into a preemptive rescue operation," said the green shape-shifter. Radical Islamists were always a problem around this part of the world, ever since the dissolution of the Ottoman Empire as punishment for the Sultan's siding with the Central Powers in World War I. There were times that Dick wished that never happened, but there were progressive steps in the right direction, such as the formation of the nations of Kurdistan and Palestine, and even the secularization of Egypt and Iraq, allowing freedom of religion, and equal rights for women in both countries. Even here, in Syria, Superman's One-Earth government did some good by deposing Assad, but that still did not make up for the further oppression that the Syrian people endured.

"Then we'd better get to ground zero before whoever's shooting does." Nightwing said, and the two zoomed off towards the sound of gunshots. As they drew nearer, they both saw the sight before them: the ancient city of Palmyra, restored to how it was before the Islamic State began desecrating it. "We've been away a long time." Nightwing muttered, as he always wanted to travel all over the world on vacation, Starfire at his side. However, Syria was dangerous, given how it was a battlefield throughout its history, from the Bronze Age to modern times. Just then, a distinct combination of red and gold zoomed past the two.

"That felt like..." Beast Boy muttered.

Nightwing only nodded and said, "Let's hurry!" The two Titans soon came upon a sight they hadn't seen in a long time. A small band of radical insurgents, most likely the remnants of Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State, firing magazines of bullets at a single person: a beautiful young woman who would easily be mistaken for the spitting image of Wonder Woman, but she wore her hair up in a ponytail; the sword she carried wasn't a kopis, but a cruciform arming sword, with an eagle-headed pommel, which she wore on her left hip. Her outfit had a black base, and red stars over it. On top of that, she was using her silver bracers to deflect the bullets. Her legs were heavily armored, with cuisses and greaves on her thighs and shins, while a gold adamantine cuirass adorned her torso, leaving a space for her cleavage. On her head, she wore a tiara with a lion's head emblazoned onto it, while on her belt around her waist, there was a great "T" engraved onto it. The two recognized her instantly from her cocky grin: Donna Troy, Wonder Woman's kid sister.

Diana wasn't the only daughter of Zeus and Queen Hippolyta II of Themyscira. Donna was born some 70 years after her sister was, but always had a sense of curiosity for the outside world, and her rebellious streak would get the better of her, leading her to sometimes run away from Themyscira into the U.S., and that was how she soon took on the mantle of Wonder Girl, and befriended Dick when he was still Robin. The two were as close as brother and sister, confiding in one another whenever things went bad on their end with their respective mentors. Donna was even instrumental in becoming a founding member of the Teen Titans. Now it seemed as if she was picking up her sister's mantle, as a way to give mankind hope. The key difference between her and her older sister was that she was what Diana would have become had she not met the Nazi spy: Steve Trevor. Unlike Diana, Donna never was used as a pawn by a double agent. Luckily, she managed to fall in love with a fellow Teen Titan she knew she could trust: Roy Harper, AKA Arsenal, the protege of the late Green Arrow.

"C'mon boys, I can keep at this all night!" She gloated with a seductive wink. Dick and Gar only chuckled as they heard the terrorists swearing and cursing in Arabic at her, claiming that she would be punished for her indecency and other such fanatical nonsense that flew in the face of proper Islamic teachings. At this, Donna only scoffed the insults off and said, "Yeah, yeah. I've been called worse!" At that moment, the same scarlet and gold combo of color hit one of the automated machine guns on Donna's flank. Instantly the two Titans knew only one hero capable off such an attempt: Wally West, AKA the Flash. Barry Allen's nephew, Wally coincidentally underwent the same accident that granted his uncle his powers, and became the first Kid Flash. As a superhero and a sidekick, he quickly befriended both Dick and Donna, and was a core Teen Titan. Following the Regime's downfall, it seemed he was allowed to pick up his uncle's mantle, since Barry was pardoned for his role in dismantling the Regime.

"Automated weapons deactivated!" Flash reported in on his comm. link.

"Yeah, well, these motherfuckers just brought in reinforcements!" Donna shouted over the sound of gunfire. More radical fighters began to come in, shouting the Takbir as a battle cry. In the Muslim world, the Takbir was recited in many different situations, such as in prayer, or in times of happiness. Yet in the west, it was recognized the best as a battle cry by extremists in times of great stress.

Yet as the reinforcements came pouring in, giant clouds of thick smoke blinded them, causing confusion and chaos. All the while, both Donna and Wally could hear the sound of frightened screams from the terrorists, along with the roar of a great animal. Two electrical flashes illuminated the chaos, and two silhouettes were distinctly visible, one of which the two instantly recognized.

"Is that..." Flash asked, shock eating at his heart upon recognizing the figure.

Donna only looked on with tears welling up in her eyes, muttering to herself, "No way..."

As the reinforcements came surging forward, sole sniper shots were heard as some men writhed in pain. Dick used his mask's detective vision to learn that Jason and Helena knowingly went against orders to provide backup. Red Hood had on him a .338 Lapua Magnum bolt action rifle, aimed to disable the attackers from afar.

Flash ran up to the former second Robin and immediately recognized him from the two bangs of hair that swept down over his face.

"Jason Todd!?" He asked, "How are you even alive!?"

"Trust me, I'll explain later," replied Red Hood, "Right now, though, let's take these shit-eaters out hard and fast!" At this, Wally couldn't help but agree.

"He called in on his own comms and told Donna, "Donna, looks like we've got some reinforcements of our own now! Jason Todd's back from the grave."

"That's great news, Flash," she replied, sighing in relief, "Just remind him about our no-killing policy." Then she took off from her back a large kite-shield made from depleted Promethium and Titanium. These shields were introduced to the Amazons due to early contact with the Normans during the 11th and 12th centuries.

Nightwing only smiled as he shook his head, knowing that this was bound to happen, seeing as the three of them were too much like Bruce to stay put when innocent lives were on the line. He scanned the battlefield, getting a glimpse of the weapons, and recognized a few stolen from U.S. army bases, and leftovers from Superman's human troopers. He called in on the comm. link to warn the other three, telling them, "Keep an eye out for that M2 machine gun! Don't let 'em fire it!"

Red Hood just continued unloading into the enemy ranks, taking out the terrorists' own snipers. For any form of armored cavalry, the extremists just used gunners armed with heavy machine guns and RPG-7 rocket launchers from the backs of pickup trucks commandeered from either civilians or abandoned U.S. army bases. To keep in line with the no-killing rule, Jason substituted his normal rounds for rubber bullets. He'd seen enough of heroes crossing the line in the past 5 years of Superman's oppressive regime; he had enough of that. That still didn't mean he was against accidental casualties. One of the gunners he struck in the head ended up shooting up another truck beside it. The truck swerved out of the barrage of bullets eating into the side of it, one of the rounds even coincidentally killed the driver.

"C'mon, don't tell me you assholes are all just talk," he muttered, as he just kept pinning down the terrorists one by one.

Beast Boy turned into a Gigantopithecus: the largest ape ever to walk the earth, and started unleashing barrage after barrage of punches against the terrorists. In his primate forms, he could still talk, given how humans were just hairless apes. In the moonlight, he could see the next wave of mounted gunners, given he was 9 ft. tall in this form. These ones, though, were armed with anti-tank weapons, powerful enough to take down his larger forms, or take out multiple targets in a single hit.

"Guys! Heads up! Incoming RPGs!" He called in on the comm. links.

Flamebird then replied, "On it!" and found cover behind one of the ruins that made up the wall built by the Roman Emperor Diocletian, centuries after Palmyra's initial destruction. Using her grapnel gun, she managed to scale the ramparts for a higher view, then she used one of the turrets to anchor herself for a grapnel boost. As soon as the two men were in sight, Helena showed how she really took after her father, and glided down towards them at full force, terrifying the two men. This allowed her to take both down before they could ever try to make a move. Red Hood even took down a third one, firing a round right at a mujahideen's head, knocking him out. As he slumped back down into the Humvee his companions were in, his finger pulled the trigger, causing the rocket to accidentally blow the vehicle up, crew and all.

"Damn it...Dick's gonna have my head for that," he muttered.

As the battle turned in the six Titans' favor, Nightwing couldn't help but feel something was off. He looked around as he sped along the dunes, using his detective vision to track any hostiles, or incoming enemies. Though the area was largely ruins since the 3rd century CE, there were still those who lived in and around the area.

"Their left wing stopped shooting, but why?" He asked himself. As he looked to his right, he widened his eyes in shock. "Shit! Beast Boy, find their leader; end this madness!" He told the green shape-shifter via the comms. Then he channeled into his surrogate siblings and said, "Red Hood, Flamebird! They've got a human bomb!"

"Roger, makin' our way to your location!" Red Hood replied, as he and Flamebird joined Nightwing on a small sand dune that was able to provide both cover and a vantage point. "Man, and I thought these lowlifes couldn't sink any lower," he muttered. This was something to be expected when dealing with these kinds of terrorists. In the world of Islamic extremism, this form of suicide attack was known as an _istishhad_ , which was the Arabic word for "martyrdom". Most of these bombers were radicalized young men who were on the far end of the extremist spectrum, but some factions, such as ISIL and its African sidearm, Boko Haram, had been known to use women in such attacks for various reasons.

"What've we got?" Flamebird asked her surrogate brother, angered by the thought of a woman being used as an unwilling pawn. While it was true that there were some radicalized women who joined such terrorist movements, the largest being those who became wives of ISIL's mujaheddin, there were also those who were unwilling pawns that these terrorists kidnapped off the street to further their own warped and twisted religious agenda.

Nightwing used a pair of binoculars from his utility belt for a closer view. Nearby, a young woman dressed in Western style clothing was seen walking with both her hands raised and a suicide vest forced onto her. The sheer look of terror on her face told the former Robin about her situation as a hostage, and the lack of a hijab on her made an easy excuse for these radicals to use her as a pawn.

"She doesn't look like she's been radicalized. From her choice of attire, she's probably a local from near Homs," he said, smiling as he was glad that he spotted her, "Good thing I was able to spot her in the corner of my eye. Looks like they have her aimed for Beast Boy's direction."

"We've completely secured this side of the road," said Jason, implying the work they did earlier to minimize the chance for the terrorists to launch another assault. "Let's see if we can't try to defuse that vest and get it off her."

As she walked, the young woman in question began to think of her family and how she was going to die an unwilling pawn to fear. She'd lived harshly under Superman's oppressive rule, and now with secularization and equal rights for women, she hoped that this would bring change in the right direction; instead everything just seemingly returned to how it was before Superman seized power.

"Oh dear God...why must it all end like this?" She asked herself, stifling tears as she slowly made her way towards the terrorists' main target. Yet as she walked, she heard a hiss to her left side.

"Psst! Hey! Fall down!" Red Hood whispered, "Just trip and roll down over here!"

"What!? Are you nuts!?" She asked, "This vest will explode; I don't want to die!"

Flamebird poked her head up and whispered, "Don't, worry. You'll be fine. Just trip and roll down this way. We'll get you out of that."

Cautiously, the woman did as the two heroes instructed and tripped over her feet, rolling down the hill towards them. Immediately, Red Hood and Flamebird got to work, gingerly defusing the wires on the explosives on the vest, most of which were typical C-4s. Meanwhile, the mujahideen were squabbling on how this was going out of proportions. One of them decided enough was enough and used a cell phone to detonate the explosive vest they planted on their hostage. Yet what they did not realize was that Red Hood managed to disconnect the cell phone that was rigged up to it as a trigger.

"Heh! Leave a message, bastards," he muttered with a laugh. Nightwing only listened to the panicked screams of the two terrorists as they assumed that their IED was a dud. At that moment, one of the terrorists flew towards them, as the faint cries of many other radicals fleeing in terror was slowly going out of earshot. The man, obviously the cell leader, was unconscious and disarmed of all his weapons. The clouds passed overhead, revealing the full moon, and its light shone down on the two resurrected Titans, smiling at their old friends. Instantly both Donna and Wally recognized their old friends.

"My God! Dick! Gar!" Wally exclaimed, trying to hold back tears. Yet as he took off, Donna flew straight at the two of them, sobbing tears of joy that two of her best friends were back from the dead. Instantly she tackled them to the ground in a loving embrace, now that her two surrogate brothers were back in her life.

"Dummies...Welcome back!" She sobbed, smiling as she sniffled at the two of them. Nightwing and Beast Boy only chuckled happily as they returned the embrace, accepting Flash helping them back onto their feet. It was as if it was only yesterday that they all first formed the Teen Titans, the rush of memories they had as a team, no, as a family, came flooding back: the good, the bad and the precious.

"How did you guys come back from the dead?" Flash asked, helping them to their feet. He had a hunch it was Lazarus Pit at work, but it had to be confirmed by his friends.

"It's a long story; Beast Boy and I will explain everything," said Nightwing, "But right now, there's something that needs our attention."

"Lemme guess, the fireball that crash landed?" Donna asked, wiping her tears aside, "We were headed there ourselves when those terrorists ambushed us. Judging from the trajectory, it looks like it landed just outside the enclosure surrounding the Temple of Zeus." Donna always referred to other deities of the Mediterranean, such as Semitic and Roman by their Greek counterparts. As such, the Palmyrene god, Bel, was just another form of her father: Zeus.

"Okay. Then that's where we're heading," said Nightwing, mounting the Wing Cycle, "Flash, Beast Boy, search the area for any casualties or survivors. We don't wanna attract too much attention. Donna, you're with me. Let's see if we can find whatever it was that crash landed."

The four Titans then made their way towards the impact crater, passing by the restored ruins of the ancient city that was once the heart of an empire that challenged Ancient Rome itself. In ancient times, Palmyra was an oasis town on the fringes of the Roman Empire, a client state of Rome. It lay across the Silk Road and was a vital stop for caravans to restock on supplies as they traveled from China to the Mediterranean. Under the rule of its greatest king, Odenathus, Palmyra saved Roman territories in the east from being conquered by the Sassanid Persian Empire. When he died, his wife, Zenobia, declared herself empress, and rebelled against Rome, but in vain. Palmyra was destroyed by the Romans, and these impressive ruins were all that remained.

This situation the four heroes were in now, wasn't too different from when they were still teenage kids, and met each other as a team for the first time, for various reasons. Wally was trying to get away from his uptight parents before they could ground him after they found out his role as Kid Flash; Donna wanted to explore more of the world outside of Themyscira; Dick finally got fed up with living in Batman's shadow and decided to leave; Gar was operating on his own following the demise of the Doom Patrol. Just like that, they became a team on a mission to prove themselves.

"Nightwing, looks like there weren't any civilian casualties or any injured," Flash reported in, after doing a sweep of the area.

"Good, we'll check in as soon as we can," Dick replied as he and Donna managed to reach the edge of the impact crater. It revealed a sight that stunned the two both: it was a spaceship, but not one originating from Earth. Instantly, though its design was undeniably alien in origin. "Guys, you need to see this," Dick called in on the comm links. Instantly Flash and Beast Boy were back at the site.

"Whoa, is that..." Wally began

Donna nodded and replied, "Yeah, it's an alien spaceship, but I can't shake the feeling I've seen something like it before."

"I have," Nightwing told them all, "No doubt about it: it's the exact same design that brought Superman to Earth following Krypton's destruction...but it's much bigger than the one the Kents found in Smallville, like it wasn't designed to carry a baby boy."

"So, we're talking another Kryptonian?" Beast Boy asked.

"Most likely," said Red Hood, analyzing the engravings on the hull of the ship. He wasn't entirely sure, but he suspected that these were meant to act as a message to whoever found the ship.

"Yeah, and one who _isn't_ probably aware of what happened on Earth," Flash added on. "Not sure if this planet is the safest place for them to be on right now."

"I'm with Flash on this one," Donna added, "Not many people have taken kind to Kryptonians after what happened for the past five years." Her words weren't unfounded, as the prejudice against aliens on Earth was directed mostly against Kryptonians and Korugarians, given Sinestro's role in the Regime. Though not all were treated so harshly, such as Thanagarians. Even though she was inducted into Superman's regime, Hawkgirl managed to free herself from mind control after she learned about Superman's role in the death of Hawkman. Yet Bruce was sympathetic towards her, since she finally got her head together, like Barry did, and her sentence at Stryker's was only reduced to a year.

"Then we'll have to keep them in the safest place there is on Earth for them," Nightwing said, knowing where that was. "Right now, though, it's best we get them out of there." He turned to Donna and asked, "Think you could pry it open?"

"No problem," she replied, then she turned to Gar and smiled as she told him, "Beast Boy, I'm gonna need your help for this one." Beast Boy nodded with a grin, as he turned into a gorilla and the two got onto the nose of the spaceship, and placed their hands on the cockpit. Donna then turned and said, "Okay, on my count, we lift it open. Ready? 1, 2, 3!"

With their combined might, the two opened up the cockpit, a cold gust of air hissed as the chamber was depressurized, revealing the identity of its passenger. It was a young girl, no older than a teenager, with long blonde hair, and a figure on par with Starfire's own alluring physique. Nightwing and Flash also looked on in awe at the fact that it was a teenage girl as the occupant, considering the fact that Krypton was destroyed thirty-five years ago, long before any of them were born.

"No freakin' way..." Flash muttered, "Talk about _déjà vu._ " Everyone was shocked. It was like when they first met Starfire all over again, but this time, the alien girl was unconscious. They did not want her to be presumed dead upon arrival.

"Let's check her for a pulse," said Donna, taking the girl out of the cockpit and down onto the desert sands. Nightwing instantly placed two fingers to the girl's neck, hoping for signs of life to confirm his suspicions. He did not want to jinx this chance. If necessary, he was willing to perform CPR if she needed as such. Yet a beating of the blood vessels in the wrists and jugular were all that he needed to confirm the fact.

"Found it," he said, then he noticed movement, as the poor girl started to come to. "She's waking up!" Nightwing whispered, hoping to at least get a name from her. There was room to suspect that she wasn't able to speak English since she just arrived from another planet, as far as they were aware.

The girl opened her blue eyes and saw Nightwing looking down at her side. Weakly, she reached out to him and asked, "Kal-El?" At the very mention of that name, the Titans knew immediately that she had some connection to Superman. From the same insignia on her left breast, it was safe to assume that she was a relative.

Nightwing gave a melancholic shake of his head and told her, as best she could understand, "No, but Kal-El was friend." Dick used hand signs to help her get past the language barrier, but the girl then conked back out into unconsciousness. The former Robin picked her up in his arms and looked to his teammates, "We need to get her to the Fortress of Solitude. It's the only place we can learn more about her," he said.

"I managed to score the invisible jet after the Regime's fall. It's waiting for us at the Palmyra airport, not too far from here," said Donna, "Mom didn't really take being ousted from power too well."

Just then, Red Hood tapped into Nightwing's comm. link, informing him, "Yo, Dick! You guys done out there yet? Cause I'm gettin' a read from the south. Something's heading right to our location from Damascus. It's probably a patrol convoy from the Syrian Army. Looks like our little firefight got their attention."

Nightwing only smiled and replied, "Don't sweat it. We're finished up here. Meet us back at Palmyra airport with Flamebird." Then he turned to the hogtied extremists and declared to them, in Arabic, "Listen up, gentlemen! We're gonna vacate the premises; what happens to you is left for the Syrian people to decide. But a warning to you all: choose to follow us, or attack us here and now, and all bets are off. If you don't wanna have every bone in your body broken, then you'll stay where you are until the army comes for you. After that, your fates will be left up to the Syrian government to decide!"

Before they left, the woman they saved stood before them and smiled at them, telling them, "Thank you all so much. I probably would not still be here if not for your actions."

Beast Boy only smiled and said, "Anytime. We'll contact the soldiers, make sure you get back home safely."

"There has to be some way I can repay you," she said, "My father and husband are among the leading scientists of S.T.A.R. Labs Damascus."

"Now that you mention it, we could work something out," Flash mused, "We'll contact them once we've got access to proper communications."

"There's one last thing I must ask: Who are you?" She asked.

Nightwing grinned and replied, "Perhaps you've heard of us before. We're the Titans." At that moment, the woman widened her eyes in admiration: these were among the finest heroes she grew up with, these were the Teen Titans, back and better than before.

* * *

A/N: So, the newly resurrected Titans have come back into the fold! For this battle, I had to do a ton of additional research on the statistics and demographics of attacks done by various Islamist factions. In case you are wondering, the bit where Steve Trevor was mentioned as a Nazi double-agent was taken directly from the Injustice tie-in comic, which is actually based in real world history. German espionage in the U.S. was prevalent during WWII, but the information getting back to Germany was usually either delayed, or misinformation. One of the major problems of being a spy is that the individual can't be certain who they can and can't trust, because if that spy is caught, the ultimate sentence is death.

As for Donna Troy becoming the next Wonder Woman, that was a reference to when Donna took up her sister's mantle briefly in the One Year Later storyline, following the dreadful tie-in event that was "Infinite Crisis". Yet there are some modifications: such as the black base with red stars, that's from her outfit as Troia prior to the New 52, and the ponytail is from her early days as Wonder Girl, when she first debuted with the original Teen Titans.

For the battle scene, I was heavily inspired by the battle that played out in episode 19 of the anime series: _Jormungand Perfect Order_. And don't worry, the accidental deaths won't be counted against Jason. Anyway, let me know what you guys think, fave, follow and review, and stay tuned!


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